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Holds/The City Beneath
The City Beneath is the official hold included in the game release with the same name. It features 47 levels (not including the inaccessible Sell level) and 530 rooms. It was originally released in 2007 and since then has been updated for the 5.0 engine on August 16, 2015http://forum.caravelgames.com/viewtopic.php?TopicID=39981. Level list Updates DROD 5.0 The 5.0 update added 50 challenges as well as various graphical improvements. Additional changes were made to room styles so that all twelve available in DROD 5.0 are used, plus the usermade style Mosaic Frost. Story Background and beginning The story follows Beethro Budkin, a smitemaster who has traveled along the High Path for over a year. He's encountered other people in the Beneath: citizens of an enigmatic and sinister "Rooted Empire" who have been carving tunnels under cities. Beethro just wants to know why, but it's hard to get a useful answer. He was always fond of saying "there is no problem that can't be solved with a really big sword," but upon arriving at the underground capital, Beethro is startled to find that nobody seems interested in attacking him. No, for some reason, they would rather persuade him to stand in a very long line. Beethro's story begins when he reaches the end of the High Path. His primary goal is to talk to the leader of the Rooted Empire to understand the Empire's actions. He first encounters the Infohut Guy, who tells him that Beethro can reach Lowest Point, the capital of the Empire, by entering the City and passing through the three gates into the center. Beethro is reluctant, but his alternative is to descend down a three-mile-deep pit, and so he acquiesces. Beethro first comes across the Gate of Sheathing, where he must sheath his sword before entering the city due to oremites. He puts his sword away and enters. After the First Gate The smitemaster then comes across the second gate: the Gate of Namedness. Unlike with the first gate, Beethro isn't immediately admitted. He is directed to the Naming Office, where he can get an Imperial name. Unfortunately, Beethro is not a citizen of the Empire and so is forbidden from getting a name. He leaves to explore the city for answers elsewhere. Beethro finds his way to the Grand Library, the center of all knowledge known by the Empire. He is initially pleased to find such a resource, but Beethro does not know what to ask. The front desk technician, First Librarian, guides Beethro through the index to stipulate his queries, but the citizen ultimately proves unhelpful and Beethro searches the Uncturage for more information. He encounters the Pit Thing once again who gives Beethro vague words of wisdom. He also tells the smitemaster to go back to the Library and ask about butterflies. He feels silly, but agrees to do so. First Librarian is happy to guide Beethro to the butterfly section, but is horrified to see that that section has been overrun with briar. Beethro ventures under the Library to deal with the plant infestation and prevent it from destroying more. He returns to the Library after a successful journey. Meanwhile, 84th Negotiator is late for a meeting with other negotiators. Using the new S.A.B.E.R. system, she is able to clear out a roach infestation from the Imperial tunnels and reach her meeting. She argues for a revision of the law which states that non-vatborn citizens are forbidden from obtaining Imperial names. Now that the hydraulic lines underneath the city are no longer clogged with briar, Beethro can take an express route to Dugandy and warn everybody about the mysterious underground organization. He reaches Dugandy in quick order from the basement of Bombus Gadhan's house and realizes that the Dungeon Architect's Association in cahoots with the Smitemaster's Guild to prevent smitemasters from venturing too far beneath the surface. Beethro attempts to inform King Dugan and other smitemasters of this, but nobody will listen. He is then thrown out of the city and decides to venture back underground. When Beethro emerges in Rooted Hold once again, he is informed by 84th Negotiator that he is now able to get a job from the Naming Office. With new resolve, he approaches the clerk a second time demanding to become a Slayer. After a quick examination, he succeeds and becomes 256th Slayer effective immediately. Beethro is then able to enter the Gate of Namedness and proceed further into the center. After the Second Gate Category:Official Holds Category:Holds